50 Best Rock Songs About Running Away
Rock Songs That Capture the Feeling of Running Away
There’s something magnetic in the idea of leaving it all behind. The headlights blur, the wind hits harder than expected, and suddenly the world feels too wide to stay still. It’s not freedom exactly, not regret either, but something half-wild that hums under your ribs. You throw a bag in the backseat, maybe say you’ll text later, maybe not. The right song hits while you’re staring at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, and for a second, it feels like the music’s in on the plan. Some of these tracks tell that story straight up, others only circle it, but the feeling is the same—getting out before you figure out where you’re going.
There’s always a moment when the running part stops feeling like escape and starts feeling like movement. The guitars swell, the drums start to sound like footsteps, and it’s hard to tell if you’re chasing something or running from it. That’s where a lot of these rock songs live, somewhere in that blur. Maybe you catch a Springsteen riff that makes you want to press the gas. Maybe it’s Fleetwood Mac tracing the ache of distance that still stings. Even the ones that came from pop, rock, country, and R&B songs find a way to pull at that same thread—freedom mixed with a little fear, hope tangled in noise.
Not every runaway story looks cinematic. Some are impulsive, scrappy, filled with weird detours that make no sense until the drive’s over. The music that fits that feeling doesn’t always announce itself as a soundtrack for escape, but it still lands there. Some songs may not be literally tied to the act itself, yet they hum with that restless spirit, that need to move until something clicks. Here are the best rock songs about running away.
Top 10 Running Away Rock Songs
1. 'Born to Run' by Bruce Springsteen
2. 'Runnin' Down a Dream' by Tom Petty
3. 'Runaway Train' by Soul Asylum
4. 'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi
5. 'Going Mobile' by The Who
6. 'The Adventure' by Angels & Airwaves
7. 'Thunder Road' by Bruce Springsteen
8. 'Come Away With Me' by Norah Jones
9. 'Wanted Dead or Alive' by Bon Jovi
10. 'Road Trippin'' by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Escapism and Freedom Rock Songs #11 to 20
11. 'Take the Long Way Home' by Supertramp
12. 'Walk Away' by The James Gang
13. 'No Place to Run' by UFO
14. 'Homeward Bound' by Simon & Garfunkel
15. 'The Way' by Fastball
16. 'I Wanna Get Away' by The Cranberries
17. 'Escape' by Journey
18. 'Running Out of Time' by Simple Plan
19. 'Get Outta Town' by Aerosmith
20. 'Break Away' by Tracey Ullman
Leaving Town and Starting Anew Rock Songs #21 to 30
21. 'Here I Go Again' by Whitesnake
22. 'Long Train Runnin'' by The Doobie Brothers
23. 'On the Run' by Pink Floyd
24. 'Ticket to Ride' by The Beatles
25. 'Runaway' by Del Shannon
26. 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac
27. 'Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)' by Billy Joel
28. 'Get Away' by The New Basement Tapes
29. 'Leaving Here' by The Who
30. 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Songs About Fleeing and Hitting the Road #31 to 40
31. 'I'm Going Home' by Ten Years After
32. 'Sweet Escape' by Gwen Stefani featuring Akon
33. 'Where Is My Mind?' by Pixies
34. 'The Last Day of Summer' by The Cure
35. 'Runaway' by Kanye West featuring Pusha T
36. 'Take Off' by The Chipmunks
37. 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' by Elton John
38. 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' by Peter, Paul and Mary
39. 'On the Road Again' by Canned Heat
40. 'Refugee' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Rock Songs of Departure and Seeking Freedom #41 to 50
41. 'Out of the Woods' by Taylor Swift
42. 'The Great Escape' by Boys Like Girls
43. 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman
44. 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis
45. 'Run Boy Run' by Woodkid
46. 'King of the Road' by Roger Miller
47. 'Leaving Home' by Jeter
48. 'I've Got a Thing About Running Away' by The Dead Milkmen
49. 'Get Out of Denver' by Bob Seger
50. 'Road to Nowhere' by Talking Heads
© 2025 Carson McQueen
